The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Ogun State branch, has urged the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to revisit and seek an amendment to the Land Use Act, when he assumes office.
The State Chairman, Bola Orekoya, on Sunday, made the call in Abeokuta during the celebration of this year’s Valuation Day with the theme “Valuation: Key to decision making for asset and resource optimisation.”
Orekoya noted that the need to amend the act as it affects land acquisition “is long overdue.”
He said conferring land ownership on the governor of a state has always deprived owners of the land by inheritance or purchase of their due benefit and compensation.
Orekoya said, “Like the Land Use Decree 6 of 1978 now an act. This decree for instance is long overdue for amendment but because it has been entrenched in the Nigerian constitution, the amendment is pretty difficult. But we are still appealing that the way to go is to revisit this Land Use Act and amendment where necessary so that it can be used for regulating the acquisition of land.
“For instance, acquisition of land is something that you just come and take the land of people without giving them sufficient notice and without paying the right compensation. That particular decree confers land ownership or management on the governor of a state, meaning that the governor owns every land in a state.
“So, whenever such land is acquired they don’t pay compensation on it because ab initio it has been stated that land belongs to the governor of a state. People that have owned the land either by way of inheritance or purchase stand to lose the moment the government acquires the land from them.”
He explained that the valuation day is set aside annually for “advocacy and awareness on the estate management profession and most especially roles of an estate surveyor and valuer.”
In his remarks, the former branch chairman, Sali Shobanke noted that, “Land is a requirement for all aspects of life and since all development takes place on land, land must be taken seriously. The only way land can be taken seriously is by introducing formidable policies to drive land and landed assets.
“I will like the incoming administration to look at how to pass enabling and formidable policies that galvanise our economy.”
